# US 9,437,365 B2 · Electronic component and manufacturing method therefor

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- Number: US 9,437,365 B2
- Document ID: US9437365B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/324,325
- Filed: 2014-07-07
- Published: 2014-10-30
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-01-23
- Assignees: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Akira Saito; Makoto Ogawa; Akihiro Motoki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437365B2

## CPC

- C25D 5/617: {Crystalline layers}
- C25D 5/12: at least one layer being of nickel or chromium
- C25D 5/505: {of electroplated tin coatings, e.g. by melting}
- H01G 4/232: electrically connecting two or more layers of a stacked or rolled capacitor
- H01G 4/2325: {characterised by the material of the terminals}
- H01G 4/252: the terminals being coated on the capacitive element (H01G4/232 takes precedence)
- H01G 4/30: Stacked capacitors (H01G4/33 takes precedence)
- C25D 3/14: from baths containing acetylenic or heterocyclic compounds
- C25D 3/30: of tin
- C25D 17/16: Apparatus for electrolytic coating of small objects in bulk
- H01G 4/12: Ceramic dielectrics {(H01G4/085 takes precedence)}
- C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- H01G: CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE (selection of specified materials as dielectric H01B3/00; capacitors having potential barriers H10D1/62, H10K10/10)

## Abstract

An electronic component including an electronic component element with an external electrode, a Ni plating film on the external electrode, and a Sn plating film covering the Ni plating film. The Sn plating film has Sn—Ni alloy flakes therein, the Sn—Ni alloy flakes are present in the range from a surface of the Sn plating film on the Ni plating film to 50% or less of the thickness of the Sn plating film, and when Sn is removed from the Sn plating film to leave only the Sn—Ni alloy flakes, an observed planar view of a region occupied by the Sn—Ni alloy flakes falls within the range from 15% to 60% of the observed planar region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic component comprising:
an electronic component element having an external electrode;
a Ni plating film on the external electrode; and
a Sn plating film covering the Ni plating film,
wherein the Sn plating film has Sn—Ni alloy flakes therein,
the Sn—Ni alloy flakes are present in a range from a surface of the Sn plating film on the Ni plating film to 50% or less of the thickness of the Sn plating film, and
when Sn is removed from the Sn plating film to leave only the Sn—Ni alloy flakes, an observed planar view of a region occupied by the Sn—Ni alloy flakes falls within a range from 15% to 60% of the observed planar region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic component according to claim 1, further comprising an intermetallic compound layer comprising Ni3Sn4, the intermetallic compound layer located between the Ni plating film and the Sn plating film.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the electronic component element is a laminated ceramic capacitor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the Sn plating film has a Sn polycrystalline structure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electronic component according to claim 4, wherein, the Sn—Ni alloy flakes are at Sn crystal grain boundaries of the Sn plating film.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electronic component according to claim 5, wherein the Sn—Ni alloy flakes are within the Sn crystal grains in the Sn plating film.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the Sn—Ni alloy flakes contain therein 75 to 85 atm % of Sn.

### Claim 8

A method for manufacturing an electronic component, the method comprising:
providing an electronic component element having an external electrode;
forming a Ni plating film on the external electrode;
forming a first Sn plating film on the Ni plating film;
forming Sn—Ni alloy flakes in the first Sn plating film; and
forming a second Sn plating film on the first Sn plating film so that a thickness of the first Sn plating film falls within a range of 50% or less of a thickness of the entire Sn plating film comprising the first Sn plating film and the second Sn plating film.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 8, further comprising forming an intermetallic compound layer of Ni3Sn4 between the Ni plating film and the first Sn plating film after the forming of the second Sn plating film.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 8, wherein the electronic component element is a laminated ceramic capacitor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 8, wherein the first Sn plating film has a Sn polycrystalline structure.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 11, wherein, the Sn—Ni alloy flakes are at Sn crystal grain boundaries of the first Sn plating film.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 12, wherein the Sn—Ni alloy flakes are within the Sn crystal grains in the first Sn plating film.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the Sn—Ni alloy flakes contain therein 75 to 85 atm % of Sn.